The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method.
In general, as devices used for communication between users being in different locations, telephones, so-called videophones, and video conference systems have been used. In addition, text chat and video chat including video images and audio have also been performed through the Internet using personal computers.
Therefore, electronic devices and like devices have been offering high functionalities and an increasing range of functions. For example, a television receiver includes a network communication function which enables not only reception of video and audio content of a program from a broadcasting station and display of the content but also transmission of various information to and reception of various information from another receiver.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-50370 discloses a technique of displaying, when a user views program content of television broadcasting using a television receiver, information on registered other users (such as thumbnail images of the other users, and names, channels, and video images of content viewed by the other users) together with the program content.
Here, when display of content and display of an image externally received through network communication (hereinafter referred to as a “communication image”) are performed in parallel in a display device such as a television receiver, a PIP (Picture in Picture) display method or a POP (Picture on Picture) display method is generally used.
However, there arises a problem in that, when the PIP display method or the POP display method is used, a portion of the displayed content is hidden by the displayed communication image, and accordingly, it is difficult to view the content. Furthermore, in general, since a region for displaying the communication image is limited in a display screen, a size of the communication image is reduced in the display screen. Therefore, there arises a problem in that sizes of images of other users included in the communication image become small, and accordingly, it is difficult to identify the users and image quality of the communication image is deteriorated.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved information processing apparatus and an improved information processing method which have novelty and which are capable of appropriately performing display of content and display of a communication image when the content and the communication image are displayed in parallel.